PDC LESSON 2.41 DESIGN – NO DIG GARDEN

 

PERMACULTURE COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

PDC LESSON 2.41 DESIGN – NO DIG GARDEN

How to get rid of weeds: easy and free method without "digging and disturbing the soil"

GARDENERS are busy people, and many don't have time to remove pesky weeds one by one. Thankfully, there's a quick and easy fix.

"The no-dig method essentially allows you to avoid weeds without digging and disturbing the soil - this keeps it in its purest form."

By abandoning the traditional approach of digging, the layers of soil are left undisturbed and the hard work of incorporating and processing the organic matter is left to the experts – the earthworms, fungi and bacteria.

Digging disturbs the soil

while destroying its structure, disrupting the various layers and stirring up the soil life that lives within each one, drying out the soil and bringing dormant weed seeds to the surface where they can more easily germinate.

To get started with this method, you must first lay down some cardboard and add a thick layer of compost.

Laying down cardboard avoids having to dig up weeds before planting, and once the cardboard has been fully disassembled into the compost all the weeds will be completely covered and you'll have a fresh new bed ready to plant.

After that, all you have to do is top up the compost every year to enrich the soil."

Some gardeners like to water the cardboard before or after the compost layer to help it decompose.

Of course, it won't ban every single weed, but anything that crops up should be of

Aside from not having weeds in your borders, what are the other benefits?

In some gardening trials, dig beds have been shown to produce larger crops of vegetables than those that are dug up.

Using the no-dig gardening method also means less time digging, weeding and watering - perfect for busy growers.